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5. North Texas (7-3, 5-1, next game Saturday vs. UTSA) — Dan McCarney’s coaching job with the Mean Green has to rank among his most satisfying and best in his career. North Texas took Saturday off and can take care of the C-USA West Division title by winning out. They already have the tiebreaker over Rice and can take another step to the championship game when upstart UTSA visits. 9. UTSA (5-5, 4-2, next game Saturday @ North Texas) — The Roadrunners had the week off to prepare for a huge upcoming challenge at North Texas with a share of first place in the C-USA West Division at stake. Larry Coker no doubt spent a lot of time during his preparation telling his offense how to protect against UNT LB Zach Orr, who has become the conference’s top defender. Read more: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/big12/2013/11/baylor-still-sitting-at-no-1-in-this-weeks-dirty-dozen/

Just Missed the Cut: Tim DeRuyter, Fresno State; Dan McCarney, UNT; Urban Meyer, Ohio State; Nick Saban, Alabama; Rod Carey, NIU. Read more: http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/bruce-feldman/24227845/top-10-the-race-for-national-coach-of-the-year-honors

4. Mac Messed With MAC: Dan McCarney, former longtime coach at Iowa State, is writing his own heartwarming story at North Texas, which is 7-3 in McCarney’s third year there. But oh, how ESPN2 would have appreciated it had McCarney’s Mean Green not clipped Ball State in Denton on Sept. 14, 34-27. Had Ball State won that game, the Cardinals would go to Northern Illinois Wednesday with a 10-0 record to face the 9-0 Huskies. As it is, the game is for the upper hand in the MAC West. - See more at: http://thegazette.com/2013/11/11/hlist-week-11-you-can-win-at-football-anywhere/#sthash.sYz0FQ96.dpuf

Not long ago, Monday nights were slow at Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q in Denton, Texas, the site of North Texas coach Dan McCarney’s weekly call-in radio show. “When I first started, it was just me, my wife and a few neighbors,” McCarney said. “(This week), I couldn’t find a place to park, so I think things are getting better.” McCarney was hired in 2011. North Texas had won six games in the previous four seasons. Since 1979, the Mean Green has managed 10 winning seasons. McCarney’s first two years in Denton produced similarly bleak results, but 2013 has been a revelation. North Texas has six victories and is bowl-eligible for the first time since 2004. At 6-3 overall and 4-1 in Conference USA, the Mean Green is tied atop the West Division standings with Rice and Tulane. It’s looking like another turnaround for McCarney, who guided Iowa State to seven wins or more in five of his 11 seasons in Ames. “Coach Mac is a hard-working, hard-nosed kind of guy,” said senior quarterback Derek Thompson. “He learned under a lot of really good coaches in the early ’70s and ’80s, and he has definitely been around the block. You can tell from his experience — he has a bunch of skins on the wall. “He’s an old-school coach.” Read more: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20131108/SPORTS02/311080128/0/ENT/?odyssey=nav|head

"Don't mean this to be anything but an observation that he's still a very solid coach. his team last night played tough as nails, solid defense, and just like i remember yours when he was in ames. so, wth was he let go?" "well, i understand the feelings here, i guess. but man, he's so bill snyderesque. and his teams play so hard and seem so well schooled. first, i'd watched him since isu days and was taken with how well they played. they may win the league and certainly will go bowling." Read more: http://cyclonefanatic.com/forum/football/178249-watched-most-dans-ntsu-game-last-night.html

There were a few interesting tidbits as usual from the Dan McCarney press conference. McCarney was particularly animated today and reiterated his frustration that UNT can’t seem to sell out Apogee Stadium. UNT is getting better, there is no doubt about it, and McCarney called on fans to show up. I will have quotes for the paper tomorrow. And in other news: – Quenton Brown and Daniel Prior will likely practice this week and could play against UTEP. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/11/mccarney-presser-notes-video-coming-2.html/

What a job being done out in Denton, Tex., by Dan McCarney & Company. Thursday nights win over Rice in a battle for first place in Conference USAs West division no less was the sixth on the season for North Texas, pushing the Mean Green to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2004. Following that New Orleans Bowl appearance, UNT won just 13 games in six seasons; the Mean Green have now won 15 in McCarneys two-plus seasons. Add in some very significant health issues on McCarneys part earlier this offseason, and you have one of those feel-good stories going on in the state of Texas. And, somewhere, Big Ben Kercheval is smiling. And likely still blind drunk. Read More: http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/11/03/the-fifth-quarter-week-10-rewind-2/

* I watched some of the North Texas-Rice game Thursday night, and I can't say enough about the work of Mean Green coach Dan McCarney. The former Iowa State coach has North Texas bowl eligible for the first time in nearly 10 years. Early in the fourth quarter of the Mean Green's 28-16 win over Rice, UNT withstood eight straight goal-to-goal plays by the Rice offense -- seven of which came inside the Mean Green 4. Amazing. Good work by a coach who was run off perhaps prematurely by the Cyclones. Read more: http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/sports/michaelpeters/saturday-observations-osu-just-made-things-interesting/article_e6dfd050-4435-11e3-9bdd-0019bb30f31a.html

Yeah it's been awhile. Like about a decade. From what I can tell the last time we started the season 3-3 was in 2003 under Darrell Dickey. We lost at OU 37-3 We beat Baylor at home 52-14 We lost at Air Force 34-21 We lost at Arkansas 31-7 We beat ULL at home 44-23 We beat Idaho on the road 24-14 We went on after that to win 6 straight games in the Sun Belt for a 9-3 regular season record before losing to Memphis in The New Orleans Bowl 27-17. So we ended the 2003 season 9-4. Could history repeat? GMG

North Texas head coach Dan McCarney and his players left little doubt Monday of just how important they believe their game Saturday against Middle Tennessee is to their hopes of posting the Mean Green’s first winning season since 2004. The importance of that showdown with the Blue Raiders led McCarney to call for a big turnout from UNT’s students and fans in the Mean Green’s first home game since a win over Ball State on Sept. 14. “I hope we have a great atmosphere,” McCarney said. “I got down on my knees and begged our fans and students to come back since I took the job. We have all kinds of recruits who come in on unofficial visits and a team that responds and reacts to our fans. Who wants to come in and play in front of three-quarters-empty stadiums, half-empty stadiums? I don’t, players don’t. Recruits don’t want to see that. They want to see support, they want to see energy, enthusiasm and passion. I think they will see that.” UNT (2-3, 0-1 Conference USA) is 2-0 at Apogee Stadium this season and 9-4 overall at home under McCarney, who took over a program that was 1-16 at home in the three seasons prior to his arrival. - See more at: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20131007-notebook-mccarney-implores-fans-students-to-fill-seats.ece#sthash.IqulgGWa.dpuf

DENTON, TEXAS — North Texas coach Dan McCarney gazed from his posh second-floor office window to an almost new $90-million stadium Wednesday afternoon and said, with a straight face, “We want to be like Middle Tennessee.” McCarney knows he has enviable facilities in Conference USA, but he thinks the Blue Raiders have something else – respect. The third-year UNT coach is trying to revive the Mean Green program to a point of consistency that MTSU is at. Whether or not McCarney is sandbagging to appease his upcoming opponent, his team will get a shot to knock off the Blue Raiders on Saturday and take a little of what they have. “(MTSU coach Rick Stockstill) has built a really good program. Middle Tennessee is respected by everybody. We want to be like Middle Tennessee,” McCarney said. “We want to be respected by everyone like that. Are you going to win them all? Probably not. But you want to be respected by everyone, and that’s where Middle Tennessee is at right now. Read more: http://www.dnj.com/article/20131010/BLUERAIDERS01/310100024/UNT-has-stadium-wants-respect-like-Blue-Raiders

One of the more interesting comments from Dan McCarney today was on attendance at home games. Hence, I led my notebook with it. I wont spoil the whole story, but here is a part of the statement: We need our fans, McCarney said. Its easy to say, Win, Mac; Win, North Texas; Go win, but Im not coming to the game this week. How about come to the stadium, help support us, and together lets keep moving forward with this program? That is what Im asking, and I dont think its too much to ask. We have 100,000 graduates right down the road in Dallas and Fort Worth. We need to start getting those people who dont come to games to support us. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/10/pretty-strong-statement-from-mccarney-on-attendance.html/

“His team will be well-prepared and you’ll be able to see a great product because he’s going to put a good product on the field, a team that will compete and compete at a high level,” said Louisville coach Charlie Strong, who was defensive coordinator for Florida for two of the seasons McCarney was on staff. “Dan’s been around football a long time. He understands where he’s walking into. He knows he’s going to see an SEC opponent.” North Texas is 3-33 all-time against SEC teams. A North Texas team coached by Hayden Fry beat Tennessee 21-14 in 1975. McCarney was on Fry’s staff later at Iowa in 1979 and then worked under Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin. Those building jobs along with his time at Iowa State prepared him for North Texas, which is 2-1 for the first time since 1994. The Mean Green showed fight in coming back from a 20-3 deficit to beat Ball State 34-27 on Saturday at home. “When you have that experience as an assistant, as a coordinator as a head coach, it’s always inside you, a fire burning inside you that it would be fun to do it again,” he said. “We got a chance to go to the top of the mountain as an assistant at Florida with Urban [Meyer] and win a national championship, memories I’ll cherish forever.” Getting bowl eligible is a big goal for a program at a school with an enrollment of 36,206 that hasn’t gone to the postseason since the 2004 New Orleans Bowl. “There’s been so many bad years,” McCarney said. “We’re just trying to give our fans hope, make it relevant again, make it exciting, make it fun. We’ve got to put a good product on the field for people to come back and support us. There’s 12 Division I schools in the state of Texas. This university has been a great choice academically all over the state of Texas. It’s been a last resort place to come to in football for a number of years. … Slowly, but surely we’re taking some positive steps.” Read more: http://onlineathens.com/breaking-news/2013-09-16/north-texas-coach-mccarney-no-stranger-level-sec-competition

UNT rallies from 18 down to beat Ball State By Brett Vito / Staff Writer Published: 14 September 2013 11:49 PM Derek Thompson came up holding his right hand after a push from a Ball State player sent him sailing over the North Texas bench and out of the game Saturday at Apogee Stadium. Fortunately for the Mean Green, the senior quarterback was able to get up off the deck and help UNT do the same in a 34-27 come-from-behind win over the Cardinals. The Mean Green had a grand opportunity in its second home game of the season to reach a host of milestones and take a big step toward the six-win mark that is its stated baseline goal for this season. That opportunity appeared to be slipping away after UNT got off to a horrible start and trailed 27-9 in the second quarter. There were several players who helped the Mean Green recover, from hard-hitting safety Marcus Trice to Zach Orr, the anchor of UNT’s defense. Just don’t forget Thompson, who scored the game-winning touchdown to cap a run of 25 UNT points to close the game after his ill-fated flop over the bench. The resolve Thompson and the Mean Green showed while recovering from some down times gave UNT a 2-1 start — its best since it resumed playing in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1995. “This is a great win for our program,” UNT coach Dan McCarney said. “We showed great resolve, heart and courage. When you dig a hole like we did for ourselves, it’s hard. But we were able to make enough big plays.” Thompson made several while throwing for 274 yards against the Cardinals (2-1). The former Glen Rose standout isn’t known for his speed but scored the winning touchdown on a 26-yard run. Thompson made that play after safety Martez Hester shoved him out of bounds on the UNT sideline, sending him over the Mean Green’s bench. “My thumb locked up on me and started cramping,” Thompson said. “I wasn’t sure what was wrong. I couldn’t move my thumb, which scared me a little.” Thompson quickly recovered and returned to finish a solid performance, one UNT needed after falling behind. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20130914-football-resolve-heart-and-courage.ece

DENTON UNT head coach Dan McCarney said the Mean Green must improve its efficiency offensively following a 27-21 loss to Ohio last week. UNT converted just four of its 14 third downs, turned the ball over four times and averaged just 2.7 yards per rushing attempt. Read more: http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/2013/09/mccarney-unt-needs-to-improve-efficiency.html/

Quenton Brown may be back sometime in October. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/09/mccarney-presser-tidbits.html/

No more than two years ago, North Texas football coach Dan McCarney was tossed into an overwhelming mess. In many ways, its the same kind of mess that Idaho coach Paul Petrino finds himself in a day before his inaugural game as a collegiate head coach. McCarneys first season as coach of the Mean Green came after four seasons of utter disappointment, when UNT combined to go 8-40. Petrinos situation isnt nearly as desperate, yet the stakes are just as high. Read more: http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2013/aug/30/petrino-leads-ui-against-north-texas/

As expected, UNT head coach Dan McCarney named Derek Thompson the Mean Green’s starting quarterback during the C-USA teleconference. read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/08/mccarney-names-starter.html/ Keep checking the link as more is being added on this story....

UNT has made a point of emphasizing its walk-on program and talking a lot about it this fall. It’s a smart move. UNT has had a lot of success with walk-ons through the years and has become something of a safe haven for second-chance (transfer) and no-chance, at least not out of high school, players (walk-ons). It’s one area where UNT really has an advantage. It’s a whole lot cheaper for a player to pay his way at UNT as opposed to SMU and TCU, the two other Dallas area FBS teams. UNT has a huge plaque in the football offices recognizing walk-ons that have earned scholarships. It’s pretty cool. I bring it up because I ran across a list of the this year’s CBS Sports Preseason All-America Team that goes through where those players were ranked coming out of high school. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/08/thoughts-on-the-importance-of-highly-rated-players-walk-ons-and-a-gyrotr-update.html/

North Texas football coach Age: 60 Residence: Denton, Texas Dan McCarney grew up in Iowa City, Iowa, played football at the University of Iowa, spent two years as a Hawkeyes' graduate assistant and, at age 24, was hired onto Hayden Fry's first Iowa staff, where his charges eventually included the Stoops brothers. McCarney eventually became head coach at Iowa State, which stood by McCarney soon after his hiring despite reports of domestic battery against his estranged wife. McCarney was fired after 12 seasons despite the most coaching victories (56) in Cyclone history. Now, despite a stroke in 2012 and heart bypass surgery in April, he's starting his third year as head coach at the University of North Texas, the job Fry held before going to Iowa. I feel phenomenal. Doing great. What I like about North Texas, location. High school football unbelievable. Fifth-largest media market in the country. Football is so important in this state. People care, they love it. Is it a religion, is it passion? Label it however you want it. It's fun to go to work where people really care about their football in the state of Texas. This program I stepped into was respected by none. Everybody wanted to play North Texas. They'd count the days until North Texas was on the schedule so they could kick your tail up between your shoulder blades. We want to put ourselves in position to really have a chance to win and bring honor to Conference USA and North Texas. Grew up in Iowa City. Spent 36 years in Iowa City. Dad was chief of police, mom worked at the dental school for 30 years in Iowa. All I knew for a huge chunk of my life. Iowa City was hard, it was tough. I love it, it's a great college town. Read more: http://newsok.com/article/3873170

2012 SEASON IN REVIEW: Although it won four straight league titles upon entering, North Texas did not have a gracious exit from the Sun Belt Conference. The Mean Green played a very tough non-conference schedule and won one less game than in 2011. Coach Dan McCarney took the Cyclones to the bowl season in five of his final seven seasons at Iowa State. He has compiled a 9-15 record in two years with the Mean Green. North Texas began its season with a lopsided, 41-14 loss at LSU. It downed Texas State, 34-7, the following week to climb back to the .500 mark. The Mean Green then lost two in a row, to Kansas State (35-21) and Troy (14-7). They beat Florida Atlantic, 20-14, on the road, but could not repeat that success the following week at Houston (44-21). North Texas went 2-4 the rest of the way, with victories over Louisiana (30-23) and South Alabama (24-14), and losses to Middle Tennessee (38-21), Arkansas State (37-19), ULM (42-16) and Western Kentucky (25-24). North Texas's 4-8 record made it ineligible for a bowl bid. It has not played in a bowl game since 2004, which is also the last year it claimed a conference title. 2013 ANALYSIS: OFFENSE: North Texas was an average team offensively last season, finishing 51st in rushing (173.1 yards per game), 72nd in passing (219.1), but produced just the 103rd most points, at 20.9 points per contest. Senior Derek Thompson is the leading candidate the start under center for the third straight opener. He passed for 2,629 yards with 14 touchdowns last season. Offensive coordinator Mike Canales may consider other options at quarterback if Thompson struggles. He has a pair of intriguing backups in Andrew McNulty and Brock Berglund to consider. Whichever passer is dropping back will utilize senior wideout Brelan Chancellor, who racked up 450 yards and five touchdowns on 25 catches in 2012. Darnell Smith (379 yards, 28 catches) and Carlos Harris (253 yards, 19 catches) are a couple of additional options in the aerial attack. Senior tight end Drew Miller (131 yards, 18 catches) is an above average blocker for his position. He will be a help to the offensive line that returns Antonio Johnson (6-5, 311), Mason Y'Barbo (6-2, 309) and Cyril Lemon (6-3, 321), who all started last season as sophomores. The Mean Green led the nation in sacks allowed, giving up just a half-sack per game. "As a quarterback I always want to make sure the offensive line has some experience," said Canales. "The consistency and the continuity that we have offensive line wise provides a lot of strength for the quarterback game. They feel confident in the guys up front." Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-tsn-afn-ntexas-outlook-20130819,0,807292.story